Less than six months removed from his first NFL title, Sam Darnold briefly chuckled to himself.
Darnold was asked five days into training camp in Renton, Washington, if he feels the narratives surrounding him have finally gone by the wayside. For years, the public discourse on Darnold centered squarely on him being a bust, weighed down by his pedigree as a former No. 3 overall pick and a transient existence that saw him hop from team to team. His first year under center for Seattle marked his fifth team in eight seasons.
Despite years of heavy scrutiny, Darnold maintained that his internal confidence has never wavered.
I don’t allow myself to really pay attention to anything like that. If I do catch wind of it, I have my process on how to handle that. Like I said, it’s just about handling my process and doing it my way, so that when I get out there, it’s not about what I’ve done or what I’m going to do, it’s about what I’m doing right now.Sam Darnold
What commands Darnold's attention now is getting entirely up to speed with the Seahawks’ new offensive scheme under first-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury.
The Fleury Reunion and Offensive Transition
Darnold and Fleury share prior history. Fleury spent the previous four years as the San Francisco 49ers’ tight ends coach during the 2023 season when Darnold served as San Francisco's backup quarterback. Fleury steps into Seattle to replace Klint Kubiak, who left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Darnold expressed enthusiasm about reconnecting with the stoic coordinator:
Whether it’s a good play or bad play, his mentality never changes out there on the field, which I already knew about, being in San Francisco with him. But, he was always very even keel. Now, getting to spend a lot more time with him as the offensive coordinator, it’s fun to be able to watch him work every single day and see his mentality out there.Sam Darnold
Building Rapport with Rashid Shaheed
Beyond learning the playbook, Darnold is sharpening his connection with wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed signed a three-year, $51 million contract in March after posting 59 catches for 687 yards and two touchdowns split between Seattle and New Orleans last season.
The two Southern California natives spent a significant chunk of the offseason training together at Saddleback College in Orange County:
- Familiarity: Training together locally ahead of Shaheed's first full season in Seattle.
- Chemistry: Working through extra repetitions to ensure smooth timing in the passing game.
- Receiver Profile: Darnold described Shaheed simply as a
friendly receiver to throw to.
The Hard Knocks Lens and Head Coach Praise
As quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champions entering his ninth NFL season—and following consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns—Darnold understands that he and Shaheed will likely serve as focal points when the HBO series Hard Knocks features training camp progress.
Head coach Mike Macdonald values that steady, unshakeable temperament as the franchise embarks on its title defense:
The thing I appreciate about Sam – and you can’t speak for everybody — but just every rep is a rep. If it’s in the quarterback room and they’re going over the script, he treats that rep the same as he does here, if it’s practiced online or we’re in a game. It’s all the same. That’s the mental approach that we want all of our guys to take.Mike Macdonald
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- Associated Press original
- By: Andrew Destin, The Associated Press Posted: 6:13 PM CDT Thursday, Jul. 30, 2026 original
- tsn.ca original
- wtop.com original
- ANDREW DESTIN original
- sports.mynorthwest.com original
- columbian.com original
